Animus
__TOC__ Power(s) True Shapeshifting: Animus is a true shapeshifter, similar to the Earth-616’s Copycat in that he can alter his body on a molecular level, even imitating real clothing. Animus can take on the form of any type of material, from linen to adamantium so long as he has at least come into physical contact with it once. His ability allows for him to take on nearly any shape he wishes and of almost any size, however the more extreme the change is the harder it is for him to maintain. He is also able to only alter singular parts of his body, for example he can change only the color of his hair, eyes, or skin, add or take several inches or even feet off his height, or grow a new set of limbs (he can also use this power to re-grow lost limbs for a time). In conjunction with his ability to change shape into inorganic material, he can mimic clothing or armor accurately in every way though damage to the inorganic material effects his body as if the damage was done to his flesh, thus tears in cloth can actually result in cuts in his body, or a dent in metal can result in bruises. Enhanced Metabolic & Self-Sustaining Systems: His incredibly high metabolism and his body’s inability to produce fatigue toxins. Animus can go an entire week before needing to sleep, however if he stays awake for the full week he is required to sleep a total of 24 hrs in order to revitalize him. He can also last three times as long as a normal person without needing food or water however he is free to eat and drink like any other person and store energy like a bear preparing to hibernate. Also, his body does not produce fatigue toxins like most people do, this is both a blessing and a curse as Animus is able to push his body to near meta-human levels without actually having a power to do so, giving him seemingly endless amounts of stamina. However because his body does not natural become exhausted he can potentially cause severe damage to his body if he does not remain aware of the stresses he is forcing himself to endure. Power Mimicry:'''Animus also has a power similar to the Earth-616’s Rogue, able to copy the power of another mutant by simply touching them, even if only for a second. The power is not stolen nor is the person being touched drained as in Rogue’s case, however also unlike Rogue, Animus does not gain an inherent knowledge of how to use the power unless he has at least seen it used at some point before or after taking the power. At the moment Animus can only use one additional power at a time, however with training and further experience (or new power sets) he may learn how to use numerous powers at once. *Super Strength:' Taken from a random encounter he had in a cameo, he fought against a mutant with incredible strength and gained the ability to increase his strength enough to lift roughly 10 tons. *Blinking:'' Gained from one of his students he went to blows with over a difference in opinions, this ability is similar to Nightcrawlers (though he calls it Blinking) in that it allows him to teleport over short distances. The power creates a dim red flash both before and after the Blink and leaves a slight chemical smell in the air for a short time after each blink. *''Ink Form & Manipulation:'' Taken from Seven, he is able to assume a form that appears to be made of black ink that can harden with enough tensile strength to withstand about 1 ton worth of pressure, though the form does not actually increase any of his natural abilities beyond their normal capacity, thus he cannot actually lift 1 ton. He has the ability to manipulate all forms of ink, allowing him to bring any form of ink drawing to life, the animated form of the drawing looks generally just as it did in its original form. *''Flight Adaptation:'' Including wings, aerial adaption, and flight. Wings: Gained from the mutant Micheal, Animus has grown a pair of large white feathered wings from his back with roughly a 16' wingspan. Like Micheal's his wings have an incredibly flexible bone structure that allows him to press them to his back and conceal them beneath his trench coat. Aerial Adaption: His anatomy has changed to adapt to flight, for example the development of hollow bones and thin membranes over his eyes that allow them to withstand the pressure of high-speed winds, or a special membrane within his respiratory system allowing him to extract oxygen from high altitudes. Flight: Animus can use his wings to fly, however it is unknown to what extent as he can use his shapeshifting abilities to alter his anatomy in ways they may increase his max velocity, however currently Animus can only use his wings to glide at the speed of a hang glider, not yet accustomed to their natural use. This means that Animus cannot take off from a stand still or even with a running start, he must leap off of a high surface and use his wings to glide on wind currents. *''Superhuman Durability:'' His skin is considerably more resilient as a result of copying Micheal's powers. Though he is far from invincible he is able to withstand the force and pressure of high-speed winds and high altitudes and can withstand injuries that would normally severely injure or kill a normal human with only mild or moderate discomfort. *''Regenerative Healing Factor:'' Exactly like Micheal's, he can mend most non-fatal wounds such as cuts or stab wounds within a few hours or broken bones within a few days, however due to his ability to change his genetics completely, he can use his blood to heal any person so long as he either knows their blood type, or has made skin to skin contact. *''Empathy:'' Animus has the ability to form an empathic link with the people around him, this power allows him to feel what other people are feeling, however at the moment he is unable to control its use, thus the power can come on randomly without warning and occasionally without provocation. *''Telepathy:'' He has the ability to read the thoughts of other people, to gain information directly from another persons mind, or to hear their surfaces thoughts as if spoken allowed. He cannot use this power to speak telepathically unless they have telepathy as well, and he can only use the power on those directly in his area, like his empathy, the power activates on its own at random times, the extent of this power is not yet known. *''Future Sight:'' Randomly and without warning or provocation, Animus may gain a glimpse into the future of events that have yet to happen. The events often play similarly to a video clip in his mind. The visions are slightly sporadic and can be hard to understand at times, though typically the visions are obvious, like a burning hospital possibly followed by a section of a graveyard with numerous fresh graves showing him a hospital that will burn down in the future and how many people will die in the fire. The power is uncontrollable and unpredictable and may not always give him visions that have any meaning or purpose to him. History Born in small town in Pennsylvania, he was born with the name Malym Gray; though from the moment he was born Animus was destined to live a hard life. His X-gene had become active while in development, and because of this Animus’s physical appearance was deformed, he appeared albino at first, having no colored irises, gray skin, and shock white hair; Animus’s physical features resembled something more animal than human with long pointed ears, slitted pupils, and his hands and feet were almost paw-like, each digit ending in long curved black claws rather than human fingernails. Animus was even more unfortunate, as both his parents were human, and being the first mutant in his family’s bloodline they were unaware of how to care for the child’s needs. Animus did not require as much food, water, or sleep as a normal human child and thus made caring for the infant even more difficult, eventually his parents grew to resent Animus, considering him a cruel joke rather than their actual child. He was mistreated and abused from a very young age and many of the emotional scars he suffered still plague him today. When the war was over and the mutants won, Animus was taken from his family and placed into an orphanage for mutants of human birthing in the newly reformed city of Neo-X, his parents were taken to one of the human prison encampments and he can only assume they are dead now. It was while in the orphanage that Animus would meet with a small girl known as Evelyn Lannera (later to be known as Nyx or Skittles), the two bonding almost immediately due to Nyx’s love of Animus’ unique appearance, and Animus’s enjoyment of the girls spunky nature. Animus served as an older brother and protector of Nyx her entire life, though secretly he had harbored much deeper feelings for the girl since they were very young. The two were inseparable and always watched each other’s backs, however when Animus’ powers finally developed completely he became more curious in exploring the possibilities of his new found trick, often causing problems for those around him, especially Nyx. The two lived relatively happy lives together, that is until the day Nyx’s powers would develop. As her powers developed her Negation aura caused a severe accident that would cost the life of an innocent person, and though Animus did what he could to protector her, there was little that could be done as the Empire arrived to arrest her. Animus hid Nyx, using his own power to take her form and turned himself in, in her place. Later he would declare that he was actually a shapeshifter, revealing his true identity and informing the authorities that the entire thing was only an accident from a prank gone wrong. Regardless of his plea, Animus was sentenced to 15 years in an imperial prison, though he only actually served 3 of these years, from age 14 to 17. Breaking free with the help from a fellow inmate who sympathized for the boy’s plight, he stayed in hiding for almost 6 months before finally seeking out Nyx. He and Nyx started working as mercenaries together, and although Nyx took on more formal employment from her clients, Animus remained freelance working for whoever could pay the most for his skills, however Animus never actually kept the money, instead he “donated” to Nyx to further her own natural talents of machinery along, keeping only enough money to live off of and further his own studies in advanced engineering, though he did so in secret until recently, in truth Animus and Nyx may be nearly equal in intellect and ability, though Animus lacks the drive and resources that Nyx has thus his inventions often come up short when compared to hers. In recent history Animus has suffered a great deal of tragedy, the first beginning with the corruption of his mind and body, being used as a weapon against Nyx and later having his soul torn from him by the same being that used him as a puppet for its own schemes. Both guilt and the experience lead him to take extreme measures, attempting to alter his own mind and remove as much of the experience as he could, however the attempt failed and his mind was left damaged potentially forever. He has since developed numerous personalities, four to be exact, that each represents a fragment of his mind’s idea of who he should be; a sociopath, a paragon, a genius, and a brute, leaving his true personality as who he really is. Due to his ability to shape-shift however, each personality is its own individual, often taking on a different appearance, voice, mindset, and name however all five personalities are fully aware of each other and often communicate with one another inside his head. For a short period of time he took on a dark persona with mask and odd apparel, becoming a sort of Vigilante Hero, however during a fight between himself and the mutant known as Outlaw, he was severely injured and rescued by the same mutant and has since joined the group known as the Outlaws. After joining the Outlaws he spent several days in New Jersey before continuing on his way, he eventually moved in with Nyx and completed the suit of body armor he had been designing for years. Shortly after this Animus came to a realization that Nyx no longer needed him to watch over her like she had when they were young, feeling that his life had somehow lost its reason, he set out to regain a purpose for himself only to be retaken by Blackheart due to his state of mind, eventually he found his way to the Saint Micheal's Angelic Church in hopes that Micheal could help him, though instead he found aid in a man that calls himself El Mariachi. With the demon now purged from his body he was able to live his life a little easier, though he still remained soulless. Micheal brought him on as a Crusader to help them rebuild the Empire under a new order, and after only being with them for a week he had already proven to be a valuable member, hacking into the Empire's mainframe and downloading a vast amount of important information. In a fight between Blackheart and El Mariachi however, it was revealed that when El Mariachi cleansed the purge from Animus he also somehow freed his soul from Blackheart's grasp, however the demon stated that if it did not return to its owner he was unaware of where it could have gone, also stating that in interfering, El Mariachi may have created a monster the world may not yet be prepared to deal with. Abilities 'Peek conditioning:'Without the use of his powers Animus has nigh meta-human level of strength and speed, with seemingly limitless stamina. He can perform above and beyond most human’s limitations though if he does so for prolonged periods of time he runs a high risk of causing severe damage to his body. Animus also has an incredible intellect with amazing potential, his brain able to process thoughts incredibly quick, this granting him cat-like reflexes as he can often react to something the moment it happens. Due to his high metabolism he can also hold his breath for extended periods of time most humanoids could not achieve without extensive training, and with all his natural abilities combined Animus is a formidable spy, assassin, and master of espionage 'Weapons Mastery:'Animus is an Olympic level marksman and swordsman, often using dual weapons due to his ambidexterity. 'Technical Genius:'Beyond his physical capabilities Animus is a total genius, though he is not the worlds smartest person he definitely has a powerful intellect. Animus has shown a great amount of proficiency in mechanical engineering, designing or redesigning every weapon and piece of equipment he uses, from his guns to the suit of nanite mesh body armor that he wears (though he did not design the Nanite Mesh itself).